Refrigerator car structure



Nov. 3, 1942. c. D. BoNsALL' amarsi-muon cia sT'aucTunE original Filed Ju1y24`, 1939 Patented Nov. 3, 1942 STATES REFRIGERATOR CAB STRUCTURE Charles D. Bonsall, Chicago, Ill., assignor to Standard Railway Devices Company, a corpora- Ytion of Delaware A' Original application July 24, 1939, Serial No. 286,138, now Patent No. 2,256,376, dated Sept. 16, 1941. Divided and this application June 11, 1941, Serial No. 397,522

9 Claims.

This invention relates to refrigerator cars used to transport perishable commoditiesat a predetermined temperature. The essential features of a refrigerator car are an insulated body to prevent or retard ingress' of heat during warm weather and egress of heat during cold weather and a cooling means and a heating means t0 be used during warm and cold weather respectively.

This invention applies particularly to cars in which the cooling means, preferably containers for water ice, eutectic ice, brine or dry ice, are

disposed immediately below the roof of the car. The lading is supported in spaced relation to the floor by a foraminous rack. Flues, preferably associated with the side walls of the car, com- 'Cil tion in which the containers are supportedby the shear strength of bolts or rivets. Another object is to provide means for bracing the refrigerant containers against the lateral thrusts which occur due to the inertia of a shifting refrigerant in the container. A further object of the invention,

in addition to bracing the containers against municate between the cooling means and the space under the floor rack to provide a path for the circulation of air. The path is 'from the cooling means downwardly through the aforementioned flues, through the space under the iioor rack, upwardly through the lading compartment thereby cooling the lading, and finally to the cool-y ing means from where the cycle is repeated.

The refrigerant used in a' carof this type usu- Vally weighs as much as several tons so that it is essential that the structure supporting the refrigerant have considerable strength. In addition to the dead weight of this mass there are dynamic Lforces of great magnitude, .both vertically and horizontally, which are caused by acceleration and deceleration. of the car and by sudden starting and stopping as well as swaying of the car. The hazards in a car of this type due to the above ,conditions are particularly great because of the ,danger of the containers dropping from their overhead position onto the lading.

It is also essential, in addition to having the tanks securely supported, to have them supported so that they may be readily removed and replaced. Damage to the tanks may be caused by the shifting of the great mass of refrigerant Vor by the impact which occurs when large pieces of refrigerant are dropped through the hatches into the containers. Corrosion is another factor ywhich necessitates the containers being readily removable and replaceable. Salt, which is often used with the refrigerant, has a very corrosive Veffect on many materials and often results in rapid deterioration.

It is an object of the invention to support the containers 'on a solid base; that is, one in which the weight vof the refrigerant and the refrigerant container is supported by substantially horizontal surfaces resting upon vother .such surfaces. This lis consideredan improvementover a' construchorizontal and vertical thrusts, is to provide means by which the containers may be lowered vertically out of position after a relatively small lateral movement thereof.

"Drip pans, which are usually disposed below 4the containers, commonly have, for a purpose to be hereinafter described, partitions upstanding therefrom at certain edges thereof. It is essential for the protection of the lading `from liquid that the joint between the drip pans and the partitions be watertight. VAn object of the invention is to provide carlinesfor supporting the containers, said carlines being disposed near the roof of the car so that substantially all of the aforementioned partitions are below the carline, thereby eliminating the necessity of a watertight joint between the partitions and carlines.

In the drawing:

Fig. 1 is a transverse section through the upper part of a refrigerator car embodying my invention.

Fig. 2 is a plan section on line 2--2 of Fig. 14. The general parts of the refrigerator car shown are insulated roof. 2, side walls 3, hatches 5, re-

frigerant containers 6 and side wall ues 8. The

refrigerant containers 6 are positioned directly below the roof 2 and adjacent the side walls 3.

A drip pan 9 is provided below each container 6 and a partition Il is secured in an upstanding position at the edge of each drip pan 9. The drip pans 9 and partitions Il cooperate with the roof 2 and side walls 3 to form enclosing structures I2 around the containers 6, air inlet openings I4 being provided by spacing the partitions Il from the roof 2. Air discharge openings I5 which lead to the flues 8 are formed by spacing the drip pans 9 from the walls 3.

The side walls 3 comprise outer sheathing 20, outer sideplates 2|, posts 22, inner sheets 23 and inner side plates 24. Channel-shaped carlines 236 having depending ends 28 extend between the inner side plates 24 and are secured thereto. Brackets 30 for supporting the sides 29 of refrigerant containers 6 adjacent the side walls 3 of the car are secured to the inner side plates `24y and the depending ends 28 of the carlines 26. YEach bracket 30 comprises a transversely extending plate 3l, a vertically disposed flange 32 which is secured to an inner side plate 24 (and carline 26) by some means, such as rivets 34, and a substantially horizontal shelf 315. At the center of the car, preferably extending on both sides of the center line thereof, gussets 38 are secured to the carlines 26 by the rivets 39 through flanges of the gussets or by other means. Each gusset 38 has a depending portion 4| which is provided with a substantially horizontal shelf 42 for supporting a container 6. The upstanding partitions Il may also be supported by the depending portions 4I The refrigerant containers 3 are preferably formed of sheet metal with the bottoms 45 thereof reinforced by a plurality of spaced apart, transversely extending channel 4members 46, the channel members 46 being-disposed with their webs 41 vertical and having their ends formed as horizontal feet 4B. Reinforcing members 50 may be secured to the sides of the container 6,

which reinforcing members 53 comprise angles teach having one leg 52 secured toa container 5 `and the other leg 54 disposed in flatwise relation to the web 41 of a channel reinforcing member 46. The angle reinforcing members 50 have substantially horizontal feet 56 which lie between the shelves 42 and the flanges 57 of the channel 'reinforcing members, thereby providing very rigid footings upon which the containers rest. Bolts 59 are preferably provided to secure together the shelves 35, 42, flanges 5l and feet 53. Other bolts 6U, extending in a horizontal direction, resist lateral thrusts resulting from the mass of refrigerant in refrigerant containers.

In order to remove a container 3, it is necessary only to remove the bolts 55, move the container 6 laterally toward an end of the car a distance slightly more than the width of the shelves 35, 42 and then lower said container in a vertical direction to the floor of the car.

It is quite important to the refrigerating efciency of a car of this type that the vupper edges of the partitions Il be at a considerably higher level than the openings I5 to the flues 8. It is equally important that the joints between the partitions l I andthe drip pans 9 be watertight to prevent leakage from the containers 6 to the lading. For this purpose, I secure the gussets 38 to the carlines 28 in depending positions and attach the containers to the depending portions 4| of the gussets. The partitions l l are disposed between and. supported by the depending por- The accompanying drawings illustrate the pre- 'ferred form of the invention, though it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the exact details of construction shown and defscribed, as it is obvious that various modifications thereof, within the scope of Athe claims, will occur to persons skilled in the art.

This is a division of my application filed July 24, 1939, Serial No. 286,138, which has matured into Patent No. 2,256,376.

tiallyhorizontal shelves, gussets depending from said roof remote from said wall and having substantially horizontal shelves, members projecting beyond the sides of said container, said memjbers having substantially horizontal feet which `-restupon said shelves to support the container "and 'substantially vertical parts engaging said -roof extending therebetween, a refrigerant container below said roof and adjacent one of said Walls, spaced apart brackets secured to said last mentioned wall, said brackets having substantially horizontal shelves, gussets depending from said roof remote from said wall and having substantially horizontal shelves, members projecting beyond the sides of said container, said members having substantially horizontal feet which rest upon saidshelves to support the container, said feet and shelves being arranged to be disengaged upon lateral movement of said container after which said container may be moved vertically out of position.

3. In a refrigerator car, spaced apart walls, a roof extending therebetween, a refrigerant container below said roof and adjacent one of said walls, spaced apart brackets secured to said last mentioned wall, said brackets having substantially horizontal shelves, gussets depending from said roof remote from said wall and having substantially horizontal shelves, the bottom of said container being reinforced by laterally extending members having their ends projecting beyond the sides of said container, said ends having substantially horizontal feet which rest upon said shelves to support the container, said feet and shelves being arranged to be disengaged upon lateral movement of said container after which said container may be moved vertically out of position.

4. In a refrigerator car having spaced apart walls, including inner side plates, a roof extending between said walls, spaced apart carlines extending between and supported by said Wallsadjacent the upper part of the car, a pair of spaced apart refrigerant containers below said roof, one adjacent each of said walls, a bracket rigidly secured to each of said side plates and including a plate extending transversely to the wall, a gusset depending from and rigidly secured to one of said carlines and including portions extending transversely to said walls and members rigidly secured to said containers and having legs arranged iiatwise with and removably secured to said plates and portions respectively.

5. In a refrigerator car having spaced apart walls, a roof extending between said Walls, a pair of spaced apart refrigerant containers below said roof, one adjacent each of said Walls, a bracket rigidly secured to each of said walls and including a plate extending transversely to the wall, an inverted U shape gusset depending from and rigidly secured to said roof and including spaced apart portions extending transversely to said walls, a pair of vspaced apart partitions disposed between and respectively supported by said portions, drip pans below said containers cooperating with said partitions to at least partially enclose said containers and members rigidly secured to said containers and having legs arranged flatwise with and removably secured to said plates and portions respectively.

6. In a refrigerator car having spaced apart walls, a roof extending between said Walls, a pair of spaced apart refrigerant containers below said roof and respectively adjacent said walls, a bracket rigidly carried by said car adjacent each of said walls, gusset means rigidly carried by the car and including depending portions disposed in spaced apart relation between said containers, members rigidly secured to said containers and removably secured to said brackets and portions respectively to support the containers, drip pans spaced below said containers to provide air cooling spaces therebetween and partitions disposed between said portions in spaced apart relation to form a duct for directing air from the interior of the car to said air cooling spaces.

7. In a refrigerator car having spaced apart walls, a roof extending between said walls, a pair of spaced apart refrigerant containers below said roof and respectively adjacent said walls, a bracket rigidly carried by said car adjacent each of said walls and including a plate extending transversely to the wall, gusset means rigidly carried by the car and including depending portions extending transversely to said walls and disposed in spaced apart relation between said containers, members rigidly secured to said containers and having legs arranged flatwise with and removably secured to said plates and portions respectively to support said containers, drip pans spaced below said containers to provide air cooling spaces therebetween and partitions disposed between said portions in spaced apart relation to form a duct for directing air from the interior of the car to said air cooling spaces.

8. In a, refrigerator car having spaced apart walls, a roof extending between said walls, a pair of spaced apart refrigerant containers below said roof, one adjacent each of said walls,

a bracket rigidly carried by said car adjacent each of said walls and including a plate extending transversely to the wall, gusset means rigidly carried by the car and disposed between the containers, said means including a pair of depending spaced apart portions extending transf versely to said walls, a pair of spaced apart partitions disposed between and respectively supported by said portions, drip pans below said containers cooperating with said partitions to at least partially enclose said containers and members rigidly secured to said containers and having legs arranged flatwise with and removably secured to said plates and portions respectively to suppport said containers.

9. In a refrigerator car having spaced apart walls, a roof extending between said walls, a pair of spaced apart refrigerant containers below said roof, one adjacent each of said walls, a bracket rigidly carried by said car adjacent each of said walls and including va plate extending transversely to the wall, gusset means rigidly secured to said roof and including a pair of depending spaced apart portions extending transversely to said walls, a pair of spaced apart partitions disposed between and respectively supported by said portions, drip pans below said containers cooperating with said partitions to at least partially enclose said containers and members rigidly secured to said containers and having legs arranged iiatwise with and removably secured to said plates and portions respectively to support said containers.

CHARLES D. BONSALL. 

